The Power of Blood
by Ember Cryne
Summary: A she-elf struggles between her desire to steal the ring from the Fellowship and return it to the hand of Sauron and her wish to preserve the beauty she has found in Middle-Earth. Can Boromir heal her soul? Please R
1. The Drums

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own the characters, places, plot elements etc. within. I make no money at this. The one exception is Anuina. I created her, therefore, I own her.

Attention: This is my first fanfic, so be gentle. Let me know what you think and whether you'd like to read more of this story. Constructive criticism is appreciated, praise is always welcome, and if you're going to flame me, do so in a creative fashion so I can applaud your imagination. I'd also like to say that it was not my intention to re-creative Tolkien's masterpiece, for I doubt that's possible. I've taken a creative license and changed some elements. Know that I make these mistakes knowingly. As for the parentage of Anuina, it might not be possible, but then again, it just might. Just go with it. Please read this for what it is. That's it. Enjoy.

Prologue

The Drums

Anuina's eyes, the color of rich soil, shot open as a cacophony roared in her ears, echoing a thousand times over in the stillness of Moria. She waited, her breath hushed, as a boundless silence followed. Slowly, a sneer curved her lips. The drums. It began as a slow rhythm, a deep reverberation as if the very stones of Moria beat with a heart of their own. The drums in the dark stirred her, made her soul sing. It was the call of battle, the call of war, and she would gladly answer that call.

But something else stirred in the shadows of her soul, a nameless power, one she had searched for these countless eons.

"One ring to rule them all…" she whispered. She could feel it, sense it. Her mind called for it. The whole of her body yearned for the ring. Rising to her feet, she gripped the pommel of her sword, determined to set eyes upon those deemed worthy to carry the ring. Anuina ran over the uneven floor of the cavern, her eyes long used to the dark. She knew this path well.

The drums…. They echoed over and over, reaching a frenzied pitch, accompanied by the screeching of the orcs so eager for war.

There, the doors to the tomb of the dwarven lord. They stood open, and Anuina snorted. It was a fool who left the way unbarred to the enemy, but her task would be easier for it. Dashing through those doors, she skidded to a halt, facing those within over drawn swords. Her hand ached to draw her own blade, but she could not appear threatening.

"There is no time to explain my presence," she said. "Know that I am a friend. The orcs fast approach."

Recovering from the shock of her entrance, those within came to life. The two from the world of Men ran forward to bar the door, though it would offer little protection against the force massing before them.

"Who are you?" the gray one demanded.

She inclined her head to the wizard, her ebony hair falling forward. "I am called Anuina," she responded.

"You are an elf," he stated, looking at her delicately pointed ears.

"Indeed you are observant, my lord. If you wish to make it through these halls then you must follow me and pray to the powers that be we do not rouse the interest of the Belrog."

"Why should we trust her?" This from the one carrying an ornate horn.

"What choice have you? You are indeed seasoned fighters, but can you stand against the multitude of orcs who call Moria home?"

The light of suspicion didn't leave his eyes. Not waiting for a response, Anuina moved to the far wall. Her questing fingers found a crack in the wall, and with a flick of her wrist, a panel slid open, revealing a secret passage.

"The fate of this world rests on your lives. Do not risk those lives on a chance encounter. Follow me."

A look passed between the wizard and one of the Men, and the hobbits nearby shuffled nervously, exchanging glances. It was long moments before an answer was forthcoming. A fierce pounding erupted as the orcs reached the door. Their cries were nearly deafening.

"We will follow you," the gray one answered.

"But should you lead us down the path of doom, my arrow will find your heart," warned the elf.

She nodded, accepting the terms, before urging the companions into the passage. Bringing up the rear, she found a second switch that caused the door to slam closed. Another smile curved her delicate lips.

Anuina led them down a narrow passage, guided by the light of the wizard's staff. In moments, she opened another panel. They filed out of the passage.

"The bridge of Khazad'Dum," she whispered. Her ears pricked. The hair on the back of her neck tingled a moment.

A moment later, the distant shrieking of the orcs stopped. Stillness crept back into Moria, though this stillness was charged with energy. Without warning, a thunderous crash washed through the passages of Moria, and a growl escaped Anuina. Flames leapt to life near them. Eyes filled with the ancient evil glowed within those flames. 

"The Belrog," hissed the wizard. Dread filled his voice. 

"I suggest we move quickly," Anuina said, though quickly was an understatement. The Belrog would easily destroy them all. It was the one creature on Middle-Earth she feared facing, the one creature she doubted she could defeat. 

"Run!"

They sprinted towards the bridge and crossed over. When one of the hobbits stumbled, she urged him on, helping him regain balance. Soon, they were across the narrow bridge, all but the wizard. He remained poised in the center. _He's going to face it. _She wondered if he could win and then wondered if she cared. It wouldn't take long for the wizard to see her for what she really was. Though if it came down to it, she would lend a hand in trying to save his life, if for no other reason than to gain the trust of the Fellowship. 

The Belrog approached, shaping the flame into a weapon. Anuina stood by as the wizard roared, trying to hold the demon at bay by his very will alone. The demon took a step, and the stone of the bridge crumbled. It plummeted into the chasm, but at the last moment, the flames wrapped around the wizard. He lost his balance and was jerked from the edge. Anuina reacted on instinct. She dashed forward and made a grab for the wizard.

"Gandalf!" cried one of the hobbits.

Her hand wrapped around Gandalf's wrist.

"You cannot hold me for long," he whispered. "Let go."

"I think not," she responded. She tried to drag him over the edge, but the flame was still wrapped around him. The weight was too great for her to hold. His wrist began to slip from her grasp. Closing her eyes, she tried to find a better hold, but her considerable strength was not enough of save his life. He slipped from her grasp and plunged into the chasm.

"No!"

The orcs took to screeching again, dragging a groan from Anuina. The cursed orcs had the worst timing. The hiss of arrows filled her ears as she rose to her feet.

"Run. Get out of here," she snarled. She sprinted towards the stairs that led to the outside world. Soon, they would be safe from the orcs. Her heart thundered in her breast as she ran after the others. Pain burst through her suddenly, and the point of an arrow exploded through her shoulder, ripping flesh and sinew. She gasped in pain but ran on. In moments, she saw light, a searing light that made her eyes hurt worse than her shoulder. It had been weeks since she'd seen sunlight.

Anuina dashed from Moria, coming to a stop near the others. She squeezed her eyes closed against the horrid light, trying to shield herself from the pain of it. It would take time to become accustomed to the light again.

"You are injured," one of the Men commented.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." She immediately clamped down on her anger. "Forgive me. The pain makes me more irritable than usual."

"Think nothing of it. My name is Boromir."

"It is good to finally know your name. Take out the arrow, Boromir. At the moment, I cannot see to do it."

"How long have you been in Moria?"

"Over a fortnight," she responded. She knew they would demand an explanation, but at the moment, she could not think properly.

Boromir snapped off the head of the arrow and tore the shaft from her body. A cry escaped her despite her best effort to keep it in.

"What are their names?" she asked, waving a hand in the general direction of the others.

"The other man is Aragorn. The dwarf is Gimli. The elf is Legolas. Then there are the hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pipin."

"Proper introductions will have to wait until later." She continued to shield her eyes against the sun.

A shadow fell across her, signaling the approach of one of the others. She tried to look up but couldn't bring herself to do it quite yet.

"There are many questions I must ask you."

"And I will gladly answer them, but give me a few moments to regain my composure."

"There is no time now. We must move on to the woods of Lothlorien before the orcs awaken. Are you fit to travel?"

"You trust me enough to travel with you? I know what quest you undertake, what object the hobbit carries."

"How do you know?"

"I have been waiting for the ring to come back from legend into reality for eons. I live for the moment of its destruction." The lie slipped easily from between her lips. Indeed she had been waiting for it for eons, but the destruction of the ring would never come about. Anuina closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sun. No, the ring would be returned to the hand of Sauron, the hand of her father. 


	2. Remebrances

Chapter 1

Remembrances

"Anuina……Anuina," Aragorn called. She heard the veiled grief in his voice, grief from the loss of the wizard.

Jerking her attention back from thoughts of her father, Anuina glanced up. She winced as the sun glared full-force on her face, but her vision was quickly returning.

"We must move on. Are you well enough to travel?"

"Yes," she responded.

"Good, then get them up. Orcs will flood these hills as soon as night comes. Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, get them to their feet."

Anuina waited for the party to assemble. Grief… She knew not what grief felt like, could not understand feeling so deeply about someone that their loss could so affect her. She tilted her head to the side. There had never been grief in her soul. There was nothing there but a driving need to take the ring to her father and an emptiness that had always existed. It was as if a piece of her life was missing. Something tugged at her memory. Images were haunting the edges of her mind, but as she sought to grasp them more firmly, they disappeared.

Shaking her head to clear away such thoughts, she focused on what was to be done. She had to gain the trust of the Fellowship, become part of them, and when the time was right, she would take back her father's ring. Her hand flexed around the handle of her sword. Darkness would spread through Middle-Earth again.

"Anuina," Boromir said, interrupting her thoughts. "We must leave."

She nodded and fell into step behind Legolas. The pain in her shoulder subsided to a dull ache. 

As they traveled down out of the stones surrounding the passage to Moria, she blinked. The light did not hurt as much, and she chanced a glance at her surroundings. Anuina sucked in her breath at the sight she beheld. Trees filled her vision. The green of the foliage was staggering in its vibrancy. Life seemed to pulse through everything. A small stream flowed through a field and into the forest of Lothlorien. Even from the distance, she could see how clear and pure the water appeared. Never in her life had she seen such beauty. It took her breath away, and she paused for a moment to take it all in. All her life she had traveled with orcs under the safety of the night. And when not surrounded by he night, she lived in the darkness of Mordor.

Drawing in a breath, she tasted the purity of the air, uncorrupted by the smoke and ash of Mordor. A sense of wonderment filled her. A sudden thought entered her mind. _Why would my father want to destroy such beauty? _Anuina was appalled by such a thought, but it refused to leave her mind.

"It is so beautiful," she whispered.

"Is something wrong?" Legolas queried.

"No… I have not seen the outside world since entering Moria. I had forgotten how majestic it really was."

"Why were you in Moria?"

Anuina searched for a plausible excuse before replying, "I was waiting for the Fellowship." It wasn't a complete lie.

"But how did you know we would pass through Moria?"

"I can't explain how I knew. I just had a feeling."

The elf arched a brow but didn't question her further. For that she was grateful.

That sense of wonderment returned to Anuina when they moved into the field before Lothlorien. Grass sprouted up from the ground in a thick covering, and for a moment, Anuina wanted to brush her fingers through it, to feel its texture, to know its scent so she could carry those memories back to her desolate existence in Mordor. Wildflowers grew there in a dazzling array of colors. Their soft petals begged to be touched and explored, but there was no time to linger over such fanciful desires. 

Instead, her attention returned to the path they traveled. All too soon, they were swallowed by the towering trees of Lothlorien, giving her new sights and smells to revel in. That same thought crept back into her mind. _Such beauty… And my father would see it consumed in flames. _

The dwarf began chattering about the lady of Lothlorien being a witch, but she ignored him, focusing on the scent of the forest, the scent of life. Her concentration was lost when Gimli's baritone voice droned endlessly.

"One things certain. If the lady is a witch, she will have no trouble finding us. A half-deaf orc could locate us from a league away," she muttered.

"What?" Boromir asked.

"Nothing." She hadn't realized he had been so near. Anuina knew she would have to be more careful in the future lest she be found out by the Fellowship. And that must never happen. Her second thought was to point out the need for silence, but the dwarf had ruined any chance of the Fellowship going unnoticed.

"How is your wound?"

His concern took her aback for a moment, and she stumbled for a response. "The pain is tolerable. I will cleanse it after you speak with the lady of the wood."

"No one has thanked you for your help in Moria. There was little time for it."

"It is glad I am that I was there to lead you to safety, though I was not strong enough to save Gandalf."

"You tried. For that we are all grateful." He glanced over at her. "You carry a weapon, wait for strangers in Moria despite the danger of orcs, risk yourself to save a man you do not know, and have the strength to continue on despite your wound."

"You find that strange."

"Yes, women should be protected, cherished, not made to fight and feel the ravages of war."

"A woman should be able to defend herself and see to her own freedom rather than trusting a man to do it for her," she responded, caressing her sword.

Their conversation fell silent as a sense of danger filled her. Her first instinct was to draw her weapon. She refused to give in to that instinct, for no one else had taken their weapons in hand.

In mere moments, they were surrounded by elves, arrows trained at them from all directions. The elves of Lorthlorien had found them. Memories flooded her mind again, memories of times long past. She lost focus of reality before forcing her concentration back to the danger at hand. There was no time for memories.

"We have come seeking protection," Aragorn said, fluent in the elfish tongue.

"Aragorn," the dwarf bellowed. "We should not be here. These woods are perilous."

"No one leaves without the lady's permission."

Anuina fought against the tide of images flooding her mind. She knew of this place, knew of these people, but did not know how. It was frustrating to have things so shadowed. Certainty filled her in her next breath. If she went forward, these elves would know her for who she was. She didn't know how they would find such things out, knew only that she could not enter Lorthlorien. 


End file.
